A review of the current situation and some future developments to aid disabled and senior drivers in France

This paper is a brief review of the current situation for personal mobility in France and particularly the problems of driving for those persons confined to a wheelchair. In addition to those persons disabled at birth or suffering from genetic illnesses or accident victims, the proportion of drivers suffering from age-related disabilities is increasing steadily. Solutions have to be found to permit these persons to drive and retain their autonomy as long as possible. The importance of the problems of accessibility and mobility for all has been recognized in France as in all European countries but the solutions adopted differ from one country to another. Some statistics are presented to indicate the requirements. Different types of installation to enable disabled persons to access and drive their own vehicle are available but reliable assessment procedures, homologation of the vehicles and financial aid packages are still a problem. The current situation in France is presented with discussion of some new initiatives.